Where are the Intercessors?

By Pastor Jeff

Isaiah 59:16, “And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.” Ezekiel 22:30, ” And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.”

We are in a time in which intercessors are desperately needed in the church, God is calling and seeking anyone who will answer the call. Most are familiar with 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” Though this is referring to the nation of Israel, we see that many people are calling on the church to stand and pray for our nation and I will agree that we indeed need a move of God from the church up to the leaders of this land.

But when we talk about intercession it is more than just praying for our nation; it also is that individual prayer for each other that is missing from most of our assemblies. I got involved in intercession many years ago at a bible study about intercessory prayer when the power of God fell very heavily on a small group that assembled together one friday night. It forever changed my prayer life, but I will be the first to admit that I have done this type of prayer for a while, backed off, entered into it again and once again backed off. I can look back at my walk and see when ever I pursued intercession in my life big changes happened around it.

So I find myself excited that God seems to be directing my path and I hope others will join me in interceding for others. There are a couple of things we should know as we enter into intercession and one is that we need to be sensitive to the Spirit of God as He prompts to intercede for others, we also need to have discernment to recognize if it is a spiritual, physical, or emotional issue. We also need to have tenacity, that never giving up until we get the victory, and most important LOVE, Romans 12:9-15, “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”

When was the last time you weeped for a brother and sister? For if we intercede for them when the victory comes we can also rejoice with them as well, 1Corinthians 12:26, “And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.”